2nd Kraków Grenadier Regiment was a

scythemen Scythemen, also known as scythe-bearers is the term for soldiers (often peasants and townspeople) armed with straightened war scythes. First appearing in the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794, scythemen quickly became one of the symbols of the strugg ...

regiment of the insurrection army during the

Kościuszko Uprising The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794 and the Second Polish War, was an uprising against the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Pr ...

in 1794.

History

Both 1st and 2nd regiments were formed in 1794 after

battle of Racławice The Battle of Racławice was one of the first battles of the Polish-Lithuanian Kościuszko Uprising against Russia. It was fought on 4 April 1794 near the village of Racławice in Lesser Poland.Storozynski, A., 2009, The Peasant Prince, New Yo ...

out of all remaining

who stayed with the insurgent army after the battle. Soldiers of the regiments wore rogatywka peaked caps, navy blue jackets with green

revers A revers or rever is a part of a garment that is reversed to display the lining or facing outside. The word is borrowed from French ''revers'', which is reflected in the final ''s'' being silent. The most common form of revers is the lapel. The ...

and czechczery or white broadcloth-made trousers. The units were equipped with 300

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

s and never reached the planned number of soldiers or unitary look of the uniforms. On 16 August 1794,

Tadeusz Kościuszko Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko ( be, Andréj Tadévuš Banavientúra Kasciúška, en, Andrew Thaddeus Bonaventure Kosciuszko; 4 or 12 February 174615 October 1817) was a Polish Military engineering, military engineer, statesman, an ...

, leader of the uprising, gave the regiment the red

banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

with '' They Feed and Defend'' (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

: ''Żywią i Bronią'', original spelling: ''Żywią y Bronią'')

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

on it. Nowadays the banner is associated as a symbol of the

. Currently it is kept in

Polish Army Museum Museum of the Polish Army ( pl, Muzeum Wojska Polskiego) is a museum in Warsaw documenting the military history of Poland. Established in 1920 under the Second Polish Republic, it occupies a wing of the building of the Polish National Museum as w ...

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Commanders

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Franciszek Bukowski *Colonel Ludwik Krupiński *Colonel Władysław Jabłonowski

Gallery

File:Polish Kraków Grenadiers 1794.PNG, Illustration by

Walery Eljasz Radzikowski Walery Eljasz-Radzikowski (September 13, 1841 – March 23, 1905) was a Polish painter, illustrator, teacher of fine arts and photographer active during the foreign Partitions of Poland.

depicting Kraków Grenadiers. File:Wojsko polskie Kościuszki Walery Radzikowski.jpeg, Painting ''Kościuszko's Polish Army in 1794'' by Walery Eljasz Radzikowski depicting scythemen officer, 3 scythemens, pikemen and standard-bearer with banner of the regiment. File:Stachowicz Kosynierzy.jpg, Painting by Michał Stachowicz depicting

in 1794.

Notes

References

* ''Rodowody pułków polskich i oddziałów równorzędnych od r. 1717 do r. 1831'' by Bronisław Gembarzewski, published by Towarzystwo Wiedzy Wojskowej,

, 1925 (

) * ''Wojsko Polskie Kościuszki w roku 1794'', Bolesław Twardowski, published by Księgarnia Katolicka,

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...

, 1894 (

) * ''Wielka Encyklopedia Polski'', 10th volume, published by Kluszczyński,

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, 2005, {{ISBN, 83-89550-37-7 (

) Kraków Grenadier regiments